The Delhi Police has written to Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), requesting for parking space for auto-rickshaws at Terminal 3 (T3) and Terminal 1D (T1D) after a police survey found that 40 per cent of passengers flying on domestic airlines use the three-wheeler for travelling to and from the airport.

At present, auto-rickshaws are allowed till the arrival area at T1D but not the departure terminal. Auto-rickshaws are not allowed near T3, neither near the departure area nor near the arrival terminal.

So passengers travelling to the airport in auto-rickshaws now have to walk at least two kilometres as the three-wheelers are not allowed to park in the airport’s vicinity. Air passengers arriving in the capital also have to walk a similar distance to board auto-rickshaws.

Auto-rickshaws heading to T3 are stopped much before the Centaur hotel, which is located at least two kilometres away from the terminal. “For passengers who are not keen on hiring taxis or do not have their own transport, the absence of auto-rickshaws outside the terminal is causing a lot of hardship. They are walking a long distance to board auto-rickshaws. There needs to be dedicated parking spaces outside the terminals for auto-rickshaws,” a police officer said.

Sources said police have written to DIAL, which operates the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), several times in the past and held several meetings in this regard, stating that auto-rickshaws require separate parking spaces at both terminals for the benefit of passengers.

Police said earlier DIAL had informed them that there was not enough parking space to accommodate the auto-rickshaws.

But police have again requested for separate lanes for auto-rickshaws at the airport. “The lanes can be dedicated ones similar to the ones reserved for personal vehicles and taxis,” the officer said.

“We already have a large designated space for auto-rickshaw parking near T3 called ‘Public Transport Centre (PTC)’. We are trying to find an option near Terminal 1 too, where the ongoing works of DMRC is posing a challenge,” a DIAL spokesperson claimed.